Description

1992: Leo Deakin wakes up in a hospital somewhere in South America, his girlfriend Eleni is dead and Leo doesn't know where he is or how Eleni died. He blames himself for the tragedy and is sucked into a spiral of despair. But Leo is about to discover something which will change his life forever. 1917: Moritz Daniecki is a fugitive from a Siberian POW camp. Seven thousand kilometres over the Russian Steppes separate him from his village and his sweetheart, whose memory has kept him alive through carnage and captivity. The Great War may be over, but Moritz now faces a perilous journey across a continent riven by civil war. When Moritz finally limps back into his village to claim the hand of the woman he left behind, will she still be waiting? Danny Scheinmann paints a dramatic portrait of two men sustaining their lives through the memory of love. Cinematic and brimming with raw emotions, it is the magnificent and emotive debut from a remarkable new writer.show more

Review quote

"Tender and insightful" Observer "Two strikingly different tales of love and grief are gradually revealed to have more in common than just the tenactiy of both men to cling desperately to the memory of love... a lush, romantic novel" Daily Mail "Really is as special as its press suggests... beautifully told... an amazingly assured debut" Sunday Express "This riveting novel is an unforgettable tale of two men sustained by love in times of conflict" The Lady "A tour de force... mesmerizing" Publishing Newsshow more

About Danny Scheinmann

Danny Scheinmann is a writer, actor and storyteller. He has performed at the National Theatre and in over thirty countries. His tours include storytelling in Siberia and a year and a half working for an avant-garde theatre group creating shows with street children in Colombia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam. He also co-wrote and acted in the acclaimed independent film The West Wittering Affair. He was born in Manchester and lives in London with his wife and three children. Random Acts of Heroic Love is his first book. It is the second biggest selling Richard & Judy book club title of the year, and has been shortlisted for the Author's Club Best First Novel Award. Rights have been sold in fifteen countries. See his website - www.dannyscheinmann.co.ukshow more

Review Text

Back cover copy

Two tales of love
Two stories of loss
One great emotional journey...
1992: Leo Deakin wakes up in hospital somewhere in South America. His girlfriend Eleni is dead and Leo doesn't know where he is or how she died. He blames himself for the tragedy and is sucked into a spiral of despair. But Leo is about to discover something that will change his life for ever.
1917: Moritz Daniecki has survived fighting in the Great War. But at what cost? Abandoned in the Siberian wilderness, he is determined to return to his beloved Lotte, the memory of whose single kiss has sustained him throughout the war. What lies before him is a terrifying journey over the Russian Steppes. If he ever makes it, will she still be waiting?show more

Rating details

2,897 ratings

3.79 out of 5 stars

5
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4
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3
27% (777)

2
7% (198)

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Our customer reviews

<p><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/showbook.php?id=0552774227">Random Acts of Heroic Love</a> tells two greatly affecting and timeless love stories. Author <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/viewarticle.php?type=interview&id=115">Danny Scheinmann</a> has created a moving debut about love and loss that lingers long in the memory after the last page is read.</p>
<p>It is 1917 and Mortiz Daniecki is captured and imprisoned in a POW camp. Before heading off to fight Mortiz had snatched a kiss with his young love, Lotte. This moment -- that kiss -- is what sustains him through all the hardship of war and beyond. Finally, Mortiz escapes from the camp and then faces the all-but impossible journey back home. Astonishingly, the long walk back to his old life is a fictionised account of what really happened to Scheinmann's own grandfather.</p>
<p>It is 1992 and 25-year-old Leo Deakin awakens in hospital bed not knowing how he got there. Travelling in South America in his gap year, Leo and his girlfriend Eleni were involved in a car crash. The crash killed Eleni, but Leo cannot remember anything about it. His journey, now, is to rebuild his memory and his life. </p>show more

by Mark Thwaite

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